Mayfield defies NASCAR over suspension; legal battle may loom

CONCORD A defiant Jeremy Mayfield, despite NASCAR suspension, came to Lowe's Motor Speedway to watch Saturday night's Sprint Cup All-star race, and he indicated he would fight that NASCAR penalty, perhaps in court. Mayfield's suspension keeps him out of the NASCAR garage and off pit road, but it didn't keep him out of the infield. It is unclear just what is permitted and not permitted under a NASCAR suspension. Two years ago crew chief Tony Eury Jr., while on suspension, attended the Cup event at New Hampshire, and NASCAR later said that would not be allowed again, that anyone on suspension could not be on race track property. Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR last week for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, in a situation that NASCAR CEO Brian France called "serious." However neither Mayfield nor France has said precisely what drugs or medications are at issue here. And Mayfield now indicates he may force NASCAR to prove its case. Mayfield insists the 'positive' drug test result could have come from an interaction between a prescription medication and an over-the-counter medication he was taking. Drivers have called on NASCAR to be more open and offer more clarity about the entire drug testing situation. But France Friday indicated he was satisfied with the current policies.

Just to play devil's advocate and look at this from a different perspective, perhaps the reason Nascar did not want drug testing in the first place, is because, to some, wrecking is what Nascar is about, even though I personally like a long boring race. Wrecks are the reason Nascar worked long and hard with testing and R&D, and spending a fortune, to develop the safer COT. Nascar might have been afraid that they would look like hypocrites.
My problem with all of this drug testing hullabaloo is that one would think the reason for the drug testing is to keep other drivers safe on the track, which I am all for. My problem comes in when Kyle can wreck Colin Braun, and I believe that it was Brian Scott in a race, as he did in the Friday night truck race, deliberately, and ruthlessly, why have a drug policy…? To be consistent…one would think that Nascar would greatly encourage all of the drivers to come “skewed” on either drugs or alcohol to make for a more fun and exciting race and fill the seats, I am just being jocular here.
When Kyle deliberately wrecks people, the media goes nuts and says what an “exciting” and “fun” driver he is to watch, “the next great driver”, in effect, encouraging him to do more of it, that rather than be a racer and perform with finesse and skill and patience, he should be a wrecker. It worked against him Sat. night. Maybe Nascar should award 20 points to whichever driver finishes a race with the "cleanest" car. :)
I was raised in the old Dutch Reformed Calvinist tradition, straight, and it seems to me that the greater “sin” is Kyle’s, willful destruction without regard for life at all. Was Kyle tested for drugs when he came off the track after Friday night’s wreck? If I were a driver, what real difference would it make if the driver who wrecked me is on drugs...? I read through the comments sent in to the articles on the truck race and many said that Kyle is going to kill someone, he has done this same type of wrecking many times before. He was not parked, or suspended as Mayfield is, or even held on pit road for a few laps. All he got was sent to the back of the longest line. It seemed to me that Kyle was seeing if he could get away with wrecking and taking out 2 competitors and get away with it. So which competitor is he going to take out next…?
I am just trying to express a little food for thought here….
Marybeth Wallick

PS By way of disclaimer; I have never once tried drugs in my life...which may explain why I sound like I don’t know what I am talking about to some. :) I stand with Marilyn Quayle when she said that "not all of us turned on, tuned in, and dropped out".

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